Automobile development and design efforts have continued to reduce automobile mass and complexity. These development and design efforts have been focused on many automobile systems and components, and resulted in significant benefits. These benefits include, but are not limited to, improved automobile styling and architecture, reduced packaging and assembly, and the corresponding cost savings associated with reduced hardware and manufacturing and assembly simplification.
One system that has seen some of these benefits is the latching system for an automobile door. Current latching systems have been redesigned to replace interior and exterior latch handle assemblies, which were formed of numerous mechanical parts, with electronic switches. Current latching systems have also been redesigned to replace other interior and exterior mechanisms with electrical switches, including interior lock assemblies. However, existing latching systems still generally include mechanical latches driven by multiple motors, mechanical handles, release cables, handle rods, key cylinders, inside lock rods, and sill buttons for each door as a backup to open the door in the event that battery power is insufficient to electronically operate the door latch. As can be appreciated, further reduction of the mechanical releases and further reductions or simplification of these listed latch systems components, or other components not presented in this non-exhaustive list, would provide any one of the previously enumerated benefits and other unlisted or unexpected benefits.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a latching system for a door of an automobile having one or more previously or subsequently expressed benefits, implied benefits, or a benefit not implied or expressed herein. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.